1. Technical Field
This application generally relates to data storage, and more particularly to techniques used in connection with data storage configuration.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer systems may include different resources used by one or more host processors. Resources and host processors in a computer system may be interconnected by one or more communication connections. These resources may include, for example, data storage devices such as those included in the data storage systems manufactured by EMC Corporation. These data storage systems may be coupled to one or more host processors and provide storage services to each host processor. Multiple data storage systems from one or more different vendors may be connected and may provide common data storage for one or more host processors in a computer system.
A host processor may perform a variety of data processing tasks and operations using the data storage system. For example, a host processor may perform basic system I/O operations in connection with data requests, such as data read and write operations.
Host processor systems may store and retrieve data using a storage device containing a plurality of host interface units, disk drives, and disk interface units. Such storage devices are provided, for example, by EMC Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass. and disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,939 to Yanai et al., 5,778,394 to Galtzur et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,147 to Vishlitzky et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,208 to Ofek. The host systems access the storage device through a plurality of channels provided therewith. Host systems provide data and access control information through the channels to the storage device and storage device provides data to the host systems also through the channels. The host systems do not address the disk drives of the storage device directly, but rather, access what appears to the host systems as a plurality of logical disk units, logical devices or logical volumes. The logical disk units may or may not correspond to the actual physical disk drives. Allowing multiple host systems to access the single storage device unit allows the host systems to share data stored therein.
In order for a host to access and use one or more logical devices of a data storage system, a user or customer performs processing in connection with configuration. The customer configures which logical devices are accessible to a host through a selected initiator port on the host and a selected target port of the data storage system. The foregoing may be used to define a path, as identified by the initiator port and target port, over which the logical device may be accessed by the host. Using one existing technique, the customer may manually define a combination of initiator port, target port and logical device for each particular logical device to be accessed or be visible from the host. Performing the foregoing to access each such logical device may be a time consuming and complex task especially as the complexity of a system increases with respect to one or more aspects such as, for example, as the number of data storage systems increases, the number of target ports and/or logical devices of each data storage system increases, and the like.